Message from the Dean

Welcome Message

In today’s society, where vast amounts of information are generated in an instant and circulate at a dizzying pace, unfounded claims and uncertain discourses are rampant, which makes us lose sight of the true nature of things. Precisely in an era that prioritizes speed and efficiency, the long-standing tradition of our Faculty and Graduate School of Arts and Letters, where we carefully read texts and primary sources, and take our time to engage in painstaking, rigorous scholarly inquiry, demonstrates its genuine value. The pursuit of academic inquiry, which steadily builds logical thought grounded in solid evidence, equips us with the ability to navigate this complex era without being misled by an overload of information.

Since Tohoku University was selected as the very first institution under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s "Universities for International Research Excellence" program, university-wide transformations have been unfolding to establish a world-leading research institution. Within the Faculty and Graduate School of Arts and Letters, we are inviting outstanding scholars from both Japan and abroad, steadily fostering an environment for education and research that creates value for the next generation through both the preservation of tradition and the pursuit of new challenges. The humanities, which continuously confront the fundamental question of ‘what it means to be human’, cultivate flexible thinking unconstrained by conventional boundaries between the arts and sciences. This serves as a solid foundation for collaborating with others while respecting diverse values and guiding complex problems toward resolution.

Opening the knowledge and insights cultivated throughout our long history to society at large, the Faculty and Graduate School of Arts and Letters at Tohoku University remains dedicated to tackling diverse challenges, creating new knowledge that contributes to future society, and cultivating the leaders of tomorrow.